Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
The first real job I ever had was delivering newspapers on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill. I was a paper boy for three years and was responsible for my own collections. At the end of each month I would visit each home on my route and announce myself: “Collecting for the Seattle Times!” There were many lessons I learned from my days as a … Continue reading The Real Work of a Paper Boy
“Know thyself.” ~ Socrates In his book on emotional intelligence Daniel Goleman recounts the story of a belligerent samurai who challenges a Zen master to explain the concept of heaven and hell. “The monk replied to him with scorn, ‘You’re nothing but a lout – I can’t waste my time with the likes of you!’ “His very honor attacked, the samurai flew into a rage and, … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust My own voyage of discovery has taught me to fix my eyes not on the peaks and valleys of life, but on the horizon where the mind is opened, the heart is restored, and the soul comes in contact with — awe. This past year tested … Continue reading The Power of Awe
Pat and I recently made a major shift in our daily routine. For the first time in our life together, we have stopped watching the news on TV every night. This is a huge change, especially for Pat, whose TV news-watching habits date back to childhood. We made the change partly from exhaustion — the events of the past year had ground us down — … Continue reading Taking a Break From the News (by Marsha)
Marsha and I recently watched The Last Dance, a documentary on the final season (1997) of the Chicago Bulls dynasty. A team for the ages. A flood of memories poured in. I lived in Chicago during the years when the Bulls dominated basketball. Chicagoans actually looked forward to winter just to watch them play! People remember their lead player, the legendary Michael Jordan, but the … Continue reading The Glory of Not Having All the Glory